Certification, Compliance, Crime & Security, Dealing with Households, Feature, Income Calculations, Maintenance, Screening Applicants

Stay on TRACS: How to Comply with Recent Changes to Form HUD-50059

November 20, 2009    

The Tenant Rental Assistance Certification System (TRACS) was designed by HUD to help improve financial controls over assisted housing programs by automating manual procedures and incorporating automated controls.

TRACS collects certified tenant data from owners and management agents via...

Comply with Regs Promoting Strong Resident-Management Relationship

November 20, 2009    

HUD expects site owners and managers to build and maintain a good relationship with residents. To create what HUD calls “a suitable living environment,” the participation and cooperation of residents is essential.

Not only does a cooperative relationship make day-to-day life...

Provide Legal Protections for Domestic Violence Victims in Section 8 Programs

October 25, 2009    

Owners and managers administering a multifamily housing project-based Section 8 program may not evict or terminate the assistance of individuals if the asserted grounds for such action involve instances of domestic violence, dating violence, or stalking.

These individuals are protected...

Maintain Medical Emergency Cards for Residents

October 25, 2009    

Residents of sites operated by Cohoes Housing Authority in Cohoes, N.Y., have one less worry in a medical emergency. The housing authority has implemented a medical emergency data card system that puts all the information emergency medical personnel would need at their fingertips.

How to Use New Form HUD-92006

October 25, 2009    

HUD recently issued guidance designed to offer applicants for housing the opportunity to give supplemental information about individuals or organizations that could be of help in resolving any issues that might arise during their tenancy or provide any special care or needed services. Such...

Abandoned or Absent: How to Handle Unit That May Have Been Vacated

September 22, 2009    

How do you know if a resident has abandoned his unit? What are the signs that it may just be an extended absence instead of abandonment?

Be Vigilant in Protecting Resident Information

September 22, 2009    

HUD has established “Privacy Principles” in which the agency outlines its obligation to protect privacy and safeguard the information that individual citizens entrust to it (see HUD's Privacy Principles on p. 7). This obligation is, HUD says, a fundamental part of its mission to...

Declining Economy Sparks Rise in Unauthorized Guests

September 22, 2009    

The weakened economy and poor job market are affecting everyone. In assisted housing, one problem that's hitting site managers around the country is a growing incidence of unauthorized guests.

The Insider talked with a California property management company executive about how...

Did You Know? Assistance Animals Are Not Pets

September 20, 2009    

According to HUD regulations, owners and managers of assisted housing may not apply or enforce pet rules against individuals with animals that are used to assist persons with disabilities. HUD does not consider assistance animals or support animals to be pets.

HUD defines assistance...

Observing the Rights of Applicants and Residents with Mental Health Disabilities

September 20, 2009    

Owners and managers of assisted housing often struggle to comply with fair housing requirements. Laws protecting people with disabilities can be especially tough to interpret. To help clarify the requirements, particularly with respect to people with mental health disabilities, the Insider...

Apply for New Weatherization Assistance for Multifamily Housing

August 23, 2009    

It is now a lot easier for you and your residents to get federal aid to make units energy-efficient. The economic recovery program enacted earlier this year provided a substantial increase in funding for the residential Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). In addition, the U.S. Department of...

Avoid Appearance of Retaliation Against Residents

August 23, 2009    

When is an eviction retaliatory? That is an important question for managers of rental housing because many state and local rental housing laws bar “retaliatory eviction.” In addition, the Fair Housing Act makes certain retaliatory actions against residents illegal if they hinder the...